Safeguard Personnel - Dale Whitacre

I was there (Mickelsen complex) before the first warhead, and several months after the last one was gone. I worked security for convoy escort as well as at all four remote sites and the MSR complex.

Before the complex became fully operational, there was such a limited number of personnel that we would find ourselves doing almost anything. I worked for a time in G3 (downstairs in the admin building) taking fingerprints of all new personnel for CONUS security clearances.

As the base was decommissioned and the security force was no longer needed, those of us who were short timers also filled other positions. Because I could type a little, I was sent to the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) unit as company clerk. (EOD was removing all the explosives from the missile launch cell covers.)

I started to re-up in 76 as I wanted to get into EOD after working with that group. I couldn't get the recruiter to pay for the trip to the Twin Cities to take the claustrophobia test, so I ETS'd (separated at Expiration Term of Service).

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DEFCON(1)

Unknown to the U.S. military, Canada launched a missile to the south sending up a communications or weather satellite. This event caused the base to jump to DEFCON(2) from DEFCON(3) (the normal level). (DEFCON status boards were posted/hung and changed as the status of the alert changed.)

I was on the SAT team (Security Alert Team) and was instructed to go to the LASS (Limited Access Security Station at the entry to the missile field) and stand by to pick up the two man gate crew if we went to DEFCON(1). I sat at the gate with my partner for about ten minutes, then called (by phone) the SOCC (Security Operations Control Center inside the MSR on level 1) for further instructions.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: "This is the SAT team, we're at the LASS."
SOCC Operator (who had forgotten to tell us to come into the MSR after the pickup):
"You're still outside?" (pause.....alert escalates to DEFCON(1))
"You can't come in now, we're buttoned up! Stand by at the LASS."
Me: "You're at DEFCON(1) and you want me to stand by at the missile field?"
SOCC Operator: "Affirmative!" (disconnects the phone)

I then turned to the other three who were in the LASS with me and said "If you see hatches explode, watch the fireworks!" and explained what I had been told by the SOCC Operator.

For about ten minutes, all four of us talked about the safest place to be and did a little soul searching. Then the phone rang and we were given a new status of DEFCON(3). We went back on patrol.

It wasn't until later that we were informed of the cause for the DEFCON(1) status, but we all knew we were expendable in any case.

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Shift Work on Security Teams

Security teams:

SAT (Security Alert Team)
- Two man patrol
- Inspected alarms
BAF (Backup Alert Force)
- Backed up SAT
- Checked multiple alarms
- Housed in MSR Level 1 area
RF (Reserve Force)
- Covered all sites and convoy operations
- Housed in MSR Level 2 area

24 hour shifts:

4 hours at active post, could be at:
- LASS gate / check point (Limited Access Security Station, at entrance to missile fields).
- CASS vehicle gate (Controlled Area Security Station, at the sally port between the admin / housing areas and the tactical operations area).
- SAT two man patrol.
- Air lock (check point in the MSR)
- SOCC (Security Operations Control Center, MSR level 1)
4 hours at inactive post
- Sleep, TV, etc.
- Unless you had bought zippers for your boots (I didn't), you were required to sleep with boots on.
- Bunks were hung on the wall (submarine style) -- canvas stretched on pipe frame.
- You would only get to rest 4 hours if:
  - Convoy operation (during daylight)
  - Alarm not functioning in critical area (weekend) (waiting for service or parts or sitting with contractor while repairing)
  - Unusual outside conditions - reduced visability, high winds, etc.

For a typical ten days out of a month, you could expect:

5 days with 4 hours rest
3 days with 0 to 2 hours rest
2 days with 8 hours rest

You could expect two to three drills a month.

Military security forces were augmented with civilian contractors at:

Launch control (1)
CASS "man" (not "vehicle") gate (1)
Main site (non-tactical):
- Main gate
- Housing areas
Civilian contractors were not used at missile areas

My typical routine following an 0800 - 0800 shift:

Single: go home (BEQ), sleep 4 hours, eat lunch, start killing time.
Married (summer): go home, go to work on construction crew (had extra time and needed $).
Married (winter): go home, take a nap, run around with wife during the afternoon.

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Weapons, Equipment, Uniforms, Vehicles for Security Teams

Weapons
- All team members: 45 side arm, M16 rifle
- NCO: 12 gauge, 45 side arm
- Could be assigned to M60 crew
Equipment, Uniforms
- Steel pot, flack jacket, gas mask required on alerts.
- Winter clothing: parka, subarctic pants, "mickey mouse" boots, trigger finger mittens
Patrol vehicles
- Dodge Crew Cab, 4 door pick-ups (4wd)
- International Travel-alls
- Dodge vans (Used by RF (reserve force) and for crew changes)
- Vehicles were refueled every morning before shift change.
- On patrol around MSR, vans got the best mileage, followed by 4wd Dodge Crew Cabs, followed by Travel-alls.

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Convoys

The remote sites were "empty" when I arrived. Missiles (minus warheads) were trucked to the RSL's without escort. The warheads were then convoyed one at a time to the remote sites and installed in the nose cones.

During deactivation, warheads were brought back one at a time (convoyed).

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Saluting

Security personnel at the MSR who were on duty at check points were not required to salute ranking officers since they were checking identification documents and controlling access. (This exception could be dismissed at the discretion of the inspecting person). Security personnel not "on duty at a designated post" were to render proper recognition.

There was always a tour group involved in "show and tell". The sheer number of officers at the site (launch control, missile manitenance, touring groups) would have made saluting a full time job. Often during tours by high ranking groups (3-5 star generals, etc.), an NCO or my CO would be present at some post to handle formalities while I worked security inspections.

If you were not busy and it was a one-on-one situation or your CO, we didn't use the exclusion and usually popped them a quick salute.

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Radio Call Signs

Site

MSR
RSL 4
RSL 3
RSL 2
RSL 1
Team 1
Team 2

Prefix

Green Shield
Green Shield
Green Shield
Green Shield
Green Shield
Green Shield
Green Shield

SOCC

25
24
23
22
21
--
--

Shift Cmdr

35
34
33
32
31
--
--

SAT

45
44
43
42
41
--
--

BAF

55
54
53
52
51
--
--

--
--
--
--
--
50
51

SOCC = Security Operations Control Center (inside the MSR on level 1)
SAT = Security Alert Team
BAF = Backup Alert Force
RF = Reserve Force

Convoy Operations

Secure channel used during convoy. Open base channel used for backup or emergency.

Convoy Commander: Red Baron 10
Escort vehicles: Red Baron 20, 30, 40, 50
Aircraft escort: Snoopy 10, 20

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Aircraft

All aircraft were flown in from GFAB (Grand Forks Air Force Base)

Chinooks
- Delivered warheads to our pad from Grand Forks Air Force Base
Hueys
- After 0900: Brought in officers and dignitaries who didn't have time for the four hour ground trip from GFAB and back (2 hours each way).
- Before 0900: Air cover for convoy operations.

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Weather

Summer

Very few evenings did you want your sleeves rolled up. 60-70 degrees with 10 mph wind would cool you off.

Winter

Winter temperatures often reached -40F with windchills of -100F.

The raised, paved missile areas were usually blown clean of snow by the wind. If you stood on this pavement for about 30 minutes during the winter in regular combat boots, your feet would start to freeze. (You could feel the cold in your feet, ankles, and legs.)

Outdoor duties in the winter required "Mickey Mouse" boots and subarctic gear. I once pushed a car out of a snow bank with no gloves on. In less than one minute, both palms were frostbitten. They hurt for about a day, then about a week later, the skin peeled off leaving very tender pink skin. But nothing serious enough that it kept me off duty.

At -40F, the fluid in an automatic transmission gets stiff, so you need to run in neutral for 10 - 15 minutes to warm the fluid up. Failure to do this one morning caused me to break an input shaft.

"Rime frost" would build up on the missile field fence creating blind spots. The SAT team would go along and kick each section every two hours to clean them off.

The LASS (Limited Access Security Station, at entrance to missile field) also contained a small weather station. We were required to call the wind speed in to the SOCC (Security Operations Control Center within the MSR) every 15 - 30 minutes during convoy operations. The ceiling speed had to be 15 knots or less to start the convoy. If wind speed reached 25 knots and the convoy was less than half way to the RSL, the destination was changed to "Return to Base" (MSR complex). If wind speed reached 30 knots, the Huey cover aircraft were recalled.

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Vehicle Stories (personal vehicle)

The first winter after getting married, we lived in the trailer court across the road from (north of) the airstrip in Langdon. The battery in my car was getting a little weak, and if night time temperatures dropped in the -25 degree range, the electrolyte in the battery would freeze. If you opened the door and the dome light didn't come on, the battery was frozen. I always started to work at least one hour early when it got this cold.

In order to get the battery thawed, I would fill the bath tub with about 6" of hot water, remove the battery, and leave it in the tub for about 15 minutes to thaw. When the ice disappeared from the battery, the car would start. After about one month of this, I finally bought a new battery.

Later that winter, I had taken a week leave to go home. We spent Thanksgiving with our parents in West Virginia. Upon our return, the cold weather had really moved in and I hadn't checked my antifreeze. The first night back, the block heater kept the engine from freezing, and a little cardboard in front of the radiator thawed that portion. But, the heater core had frozen, and I couldn't get it to thaw. I added more antifreeze, but it just wouldn't thaw. After one trip to work and back, scraping the inside of the windshield, I borrowed an interior heater (110v) for your car. After warming up under the dash for about a half hour, the heater core finally thawed.

About February, the block heater blew out of the engine, on the way home from work. It got hot enough that the heads warped, and it started taking water into the oil. I called Mr. Heck (the contractor I worked part time for) and asked to borrow some long timbers for a tripod to change out the engine. (I had found a replacement for $50.) He didn't think he had any long enough, but offered me the use of his backhoe if I wanted to come and get it. I spent the next two days changing the engine out.

I could only work about 15 to 20 minutes in my driveway before my hands would go numb. Then thirty minutes in the trailer warming up, holding a hot cup of coffee and planning the next objective.

The old Dodge Coronet 440 (really a 318) only left me stranded once. My fault -- I got into some deep snow on the edge of the road near Osnabrock, about 15 miles due east of the MSR. The snow pulled the car out into about a two foot snow bank along the side of the road, with the wheels about a foot off the ground sitting on top of the snow.

I had about one hour of light left and could see a house about a mile away. I knocked on the door and heard a frail female voice answer. Talking through the door, I told her of my plight. She said she was the only one home and didn't know how to work the equipment. I asked her if I could borrow a shovel, and she gave me the location of one in a grain bin.

After about an hour of jacking and digging, I had the car back on the road and returned the shovel at dusk. I knocked on the door and thanked her for the use of the shovel as well as for answering the door. Being alone, she could have remained silent and I would have just gone on down the road three or four miles to the next house.

If you were in trouble on the highways in North Dakota, someone would always offer aid -- no one else might come along for hours. An offer of a tool, a ride to a warm place, or a call (for help) was seldom refused.

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Other Memories

Northern lights -- great shows!
Signal from the 5 watt CB in my car "skipping" 500 miles. This worked best during a northern lights show.
During an RF alert, staggering down from the sleep area (level 2 in the MSR), down 34 stairs, getting arms from the arms room on level 1, then waking up real fast as you passed the last air lock door when -40F air slapped you in the face as you headed for a vehicle.
I toured the PAR site once, but I can't remember much about it, except the way the operator could punch in a number beside a dot on his screen and have its identity pasted on the screen. It tracked orbiting objects, and if it was an unnamed target, it would paste something like this on the screen (SPACE JUNK 6-6-74). Date was first tracking record. If it had been longer than a day, it probably was not an inbound ICBM.
"In" places for supper in Langdon:
- The A & W (in summer)
- The Country Kitchen (year round)
- The Dairy Queen.

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Photos, etc.

MSR Admin/Housing Areas Photo Gallery:
- Photos A23, A32, B26.
SP4 Whitacre (5'10") with snow drift (about 5"6"), at edge of BEQ parking lot, village of Nekoma in the distance.
- (286 x 295 = 13k) (592 x 610 = 36k) 002604
"My room in the BEQ."
- (390 x 293 = 19k) 001712
"My duplex half."
- (390 x 293 = 25k) 001713

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